The Miracle Drug
by CSakuraS
Summary: My teacher wanted a story about miracles. I bet he wasn't expecting something like this! *Warning: Contains Spoilers!*


Note: Yup, it's another Creative Writing assignment. Strange how whenever I'm completely out of ideas I end up writing a fanfic, huh? But this time I didn't want to make it so painfully obvious that it was a fanfic, so instead I wrote a little story concerning my theories as to the history and goals of the black organization. Please note that I came up with this theory from all the clues and subtle hints sprinkled about the series, and is based on canon up to Volume 39 of the manga, so if there is anything else in the future to counter this theory, then just give me credit for coming up with this much with the material I have. ^_^ (On the other hand, if I end up being somewhat correct in the end, well HAHAHA! I finally solved something!) 

I've put various notes at the end of the story explaining how I came up with these conclusions. Please read and review, and don't hesitate in arguing against my theory- that's what makes it so fun! (Oh, and Dr. Joshua Lane is a character I created myself. Poor guy…)

The Miracle Drug

Not many people these days believe in miracles. Similarly, not many people would believe that an international criminal syndicate has been infiltrating the world economy for nearly a century, if they were to hear such a thing. Nevertheless, it is true. But these people can't be blamed for their ignorance, since one of the greatest achievements of this organization's history was to be completely hidden from the view of the general public.

So it is not surprising that one would not find the name of the greatest criminal mastermind in history books. This man, this genius, this Napoleon of Crime (as some people would put it), was single-handedly responsible for the birth of the organization. He was also responsible for its members' taste in clothing, since his favorite color was black, but this is beside the point.

The point is that this man believed in miracles. And so it came to pass that when he reached his 40th birthday, the man finally lost interest in the appeal of drugs, money and firearms, and began his lifelong search for immortality.

At first it was a simple obsession, but by the time he had reached the age of sixty, the man grew desperate. Teams were sent out to find the Fountain of Youth, and an entire branch of the organization was dedicated to tracking down the legendary Pandora Gem, which was said to be able to cry tears of immortality in the moonlight. *

No one dared complain, as this man had many powerful allies, and it was even rumored that some of the higher members worshipped him as a god. So as decades passed, and the man grew older, he became increasingly worried over the lack of results. By now he was eighty years old, and the age of medical science was in full swing. Wild theories formed in the man's head, and hundreds of experts in the field were hired for any number of reasons. Among them was a so-called mad scientist, and he was at once assigned on a project to create a medicine of eternal youth- an antidote to the passing of time.

Unfortunately, the scientist and his wife were killed in an accident shortly before the completion of the drug. At the edge of despair, the man wallowed in his mansion of misery for eighteen years until a worthy candidate was found to finish what was started.

Many people would later reflect how ironic it was that the scientist's daughter, who did not believe in miracles, was finally able to accomplish her father's task. With impatience adding onto his desperation, the man ignored the warnings of his advisors, and took the pill before it could be properly tested. It would prove to be his downfall. **

The death of its leader had little to no effect on the strength of the organization. For many years now its main movements had been controlled by a small cult of followers bent on achieving their leader's every whim. In fact, the only thing that changed at all was the organization's goal. No longer did they waste time looking for immortality (though that one branch still unceasingly continued its search), but now they focused on ways of bringing back the dead; namely, their dead leader. ***

Computer engineers from all over the world were called on to develop a program to operate a machine that could give life to the inanimate. **** Psychics, ghost-hunters, and any other people involved with the afterlife found themselves wielding new-found power in the hierarchy of the organization, while assassins found themselves with an extended work schedule in their career centered around death.

As for the drug, it became a favorite tool of these assassins, being used carelessly as an expendable poison, made even more useful by the fact that it left no traces in its victim's body. This and other reasons led to the stop of further research into the drug, which was codenamed APTX 4869, by the scientist's daughter, who was codenamed Sherry. Quickly labeled a traitor, she was sentenced to death, only to disappear mysteriously only hours before it could be carried out.

Which brings us to the story of Dr. Joshua Lane. Sent in from England to assist in the creation of the drug, the young doctor was still rather new and inexperienced; not even high enough in the organization to be given a codename. ***** After the sudden disappearance of his co-worker, Dr. Lane was looking forward to a long vacation back in his homeland when he was visited by a very attractive woman.

This visit was quite a surprise, since anyone who knew anything about the higher levels in the syndicate was sure to recognize Chris Vineyard, famous American movie star and secretive organization member, also known as Vermouth. Even more of a surprise was the assignment which she presented him: to look into the mystery of the disappearance of Sherry.

To disobey was certain death, and so he did what he was told. Dr. Lane was given the privilege to sort through Sherry's notes, and at once he took note of the fact that she misplaced some disks containing very important data. However, the search for the disks came back fruitless, and though the organization's secret was secured by a virus, Dr. Lane was once again left clueless. ****** The notes provided no other points of interest, and it would be several months before any proof that Sherry still existed could be found.

On the first winter since her disappearance, a couple of assassins reported running into Sherry, but were unable to kill her when "a man with a deep voice" helped her escape, and she disappeared once again. ******* Then there was the incident another few months later, when those same assassins caught her calling her late sister's office. Though the message on the answering machine was cut off before it could be traced, and erased quickly after, the assassins reported she was planning on attending an opening party for a new hotel. But once again the search had no results. ********

Dr. Lane was just about to give up when a tiny detail caught his attention. Apparently, during experimentation on the effects of APTX 4869, only one mouse out of a hundred managed to survive. By itself, this clue didn't seem to have any importance, but when compared with the list of victims the assassins had disposed of using the drug, it was more than a bit interesting. Out of the whole list, only one individual's body wasn't accounted for; that is, until his status was changed to "Death Confirmed" by none other than Sherry herself.

Dr. Lane looked back at the experimentation file. The mouse that survived was only an infant. ********* He looked back at the list. The man whose statis had been changed was still quite young- in fact, he was only sixteen. ********** Dr. Lane looked at the profile of Sherry. At the time of her disappearance, she was eighteen.

This could only mean one thing: Sherry and the boy had both taken the drug, and they had both survived. There was even a chance that the two were hiding somewhere together, if the "man with a deep voice" had anything to do with the matter.

But still one problem remained: how did Sherry escape in the first place? The reports said that she was locked in her laboratory with a handcuff chaining her to a pipe. How does one disappear from a situation like that with nothing but a pill at one's disposal?

Dr. Lane was going to find out. After all, he was pretty young himself, having just gotten to his twenties eight months ago. And so, leaving only a short note on Vermouth's answering machine stating that he'd "figured out how Sherry escaped," he set off for his laboratory to try taking the drug himself.

Not many people these days believe in miracles. Sherry, and her fellow survivor, did not. But perhaps if they knew how close they had come to death on that day, they would change their minds. For though Dr. Lane was young and very smart, as he tossed the lethal poison in his mouth and swallowed, he never expected that such a miracle would have meant the loss of his life.

The End

*: It has been debated whether the men in black in Magic Kaitou have anything to do with the MIB in Detective Conan. Are they rival syndicates, or could they actually be two parts of one whole?

**: In File 01 of Volume 20, Haibara said something very cryptic along the lines of "Don't panic. The flow of time cannot be altered by people. If one tries to forcefully change that, they will get bad luck."

***: In File 08 of Volume 37, Conan and Professor Agasa were reading a diary of a Game System Engineer named Itakura. In the diary, Itakura mentioned talking to a woman (presumably Vermouth) on the phone, when she said to him in English, " We can be both of God and the devil. Since we're trying to raise the dead against the stream of time."

****: One of the main things the organization seems to be after is some kind of game program (example: Vol 12 & 37), but for what reason? Conan is pretty sure they're not trying to make a game, so what else could it be for…?

*****: From what we know so far, Haibara's sister, Miyano Akemi, has no codename. It could be presumed that only members of high enough class can get a codename.

******: This took place in Volume 18-19. While Conan and Haibara eventually did get those disks before Gin and Vodka could, all the information was erased by the Night Baron computer virus. Interestingly, I believe this same virus was being given away as a prize in a contest in Volume 8. Could the organization have been involved in some way? (Also interesting to note is that the virus was named after a character in Kudo Yusaku- Shinichi's father-'s mystery novels, meaning that the time when Yusaku dressed up as the Night Baron and fooled Conan into thinking he was with the organization [Volume 5] might have been foretelling the future in some way ^_^).

*******: This is, of course, referring to when Conan and Haibara came across the MIB and met Pisco in Volume 24. Haibara (in her adult form) was getting shot up by Gin when Conan saved her, all the while staying hidden and using his bowtie to change his voice (in the anime the voice he used was pretty deep). Thus, Gin came to the conclusion that some man was helping Sherry escape.

********: Referring to the 5th movie, Countdown to Heaven. I'm still unclear where Haibara was calling to besides the fact that the place belonged to her sister. Since she said before that her sister's apartment had been cleared out after her death, it could have been that Akemi was keeping an office in secret from the organization- but then again, who would put an answering machine in a place no one else was supposed to know about?

*********: Okay, that part I made up. ^_^; Though it's been said that one mouse did survive, there was never anything mentioned about what _kind_ of mouse. But then it would be unusual to have a mouse that was different to any other mouse when experimenting (unless we say that the baby mouse snuck in), so I'm pretty much screwed there. But still, there is still a problem about _why_ Shiho and Shinichi were the only ones to survive (that we know of). Could it be because of their intelligence, or their age? In most cases that the drug would be used by assassins, it would be against business managers or other important people who were hard to kill in any other way (it was only used on Shinichi because Gin couldn't risk using a gun). So presuming that the two were the youngest individuals who took APTX 4869, and the only two who survived, couldn't there be some link made…?

**********: Shinichi was sixteen when he was shrunk, or more precisely, sixteen and a half. He solved his first case when sixteen and his fame grew since then, and he is still sixteen when he first became Conan because when Ran asked his age, he was like "Sixtee…I mean, 6 years old!!" Later, he turned 17 in the 1st movie, Countdown on a Skyscraper (Conan turned seven :p )


End file.
